Breadmaker Pizza Bases

By far the easiest way to make pizza bases (if you are into making your own). Literally set and forget. Use a little olive oil and a dusting of flour on the pizza tray to give the base a nice crispy finish.

Recipe By: Sunbeam
Serving Size: 6-8
Yield: 2 Pizzas

Ingredients:
290 milliliters water
3 tablespoons Welly Boot Extra Virgin Olive Oil, (60ml)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
500 grams baker’s flour, 3 1/4 cups)
2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

Directions:
1. Pour water and oil into bread pan. Add sugar, salt and flour. Make a small pocket in the top and place the yeast in the pocket. Wipe any spills from around the outside of the pan.

2. Place the bread pan into the bread maker and close the lid. Set to "dough" program and press start. Dough will be kneaded in the time as indicated on the breadmaker.

3. Remove the completed dough from the bread pan. Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to fit two pizza trays. Spread with favourite toppings and bake for 20 minutes at 180℃ or until cooked.

{Working Mum's Time Saver Tip}

I have prepared this pizza dough up to step 2 in the time between getting home from school pick up and racing out again to sports, piano lessons etc. When I get home, all I need to do is divide, roll and top. If I am running late from whatever commitment I have dashed off to, it doesn't matter if the dough is left in the breadmaker a little after the dough setting has completed.

Breadmaker Hot Cross Buns

Easter weekend is the perfect time to enjoy a lazy couple of hours in the kitchen. These beautiful fresh hot cross buns contain no preservatives like their supermarket counterparts so they don't keep. But that's not usually a problem as they get snaffled up pretty quickly!

Recipe By: Sunbeam
Serving Size: 12
Yield: 12 Buns

Summary:
Fill your kitchen with the aroma of sweet, spicy bread. Although the recipe takes about 2 and a half hours to complete, really there are only mere minutes of actual work. The hardest part is waiting!

Ingredients:
Dough

• 1 Egg, 60g
• 150 ml Water, warm
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 280 g baker’s flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 cup mixed dried fruit
• 2 teaspoons dry yeast

Crosses

• 2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon caster sugar

Glaze

• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon powdered gelatine

Directions:
1. Beat egg and water together and put into bread pan (the "mixing bowl" of the breadmaker). Add butter

2. Combine flour with brown sugar, salt and Allspice. Stir in dried fruit. Add to bread pan. Make a small pocket in the top and fill with the yeast. Wipe any spills from the outside of the pan.

3. Place the pan in the bread maker and close the lid. Set to "Dough" program and start. In my bread machine this is 1hr and 15min.

4. When the bread maker indicates that the program has finished, remove the dough from the bread pan and knead lightly on a floured surface. Divide the dough into 12 pieces (I like to weigh mine to ensure even sizes) and shape each piece into small buns. Place close together in a lightly greased baking tray (a 26cmx16.5cm lamington tray works well). Cover with lightly oiled cling wrap and then a tea towel. Leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

TIP: Spray a piece of plastic wrap with Olive Oil Spray before covering your dough. This keeps the environment inside nice and moist, but the oil stops the plastic from sticking to the dough when it is removed.

5. CROSSES: Combine plain flour with water and sugar to form a smooth paste. Pipe paste to make crosses on each risen bun. Bake at 200℃ for 25 minutes. Turn the tray about half way through the cooking time to achieve a nice even colour.

 TIP: You don't need a piping bag to make your crosses. Just place the paste into a zip lock bag, push into the corner and snip off the end!

6. GLAZE: Place water, sugar and gelatine in a small bowl and stir until dissolved. Brush over buns whilst hot.

 Enjoy with a slathering of butter and a great coffee while still piping hot.

Meal Plan Monday

MONDAY

{image credit & recicpe}

Roast Chicken with Honey Glazed Carrots, Potatoes & Silverbeet

I've got to be honest, we found the flavours of the ground cumin and coriander a bit overpowering in the vege dish. Far be it from me to think I know better than the great Curtis Stone, but if I were to make this again I would substitute the ginger for some crushed garlic, omit the ground spices and add a little fresh thyme. The chicken however was DELISH!

TUESDAY

Curried Sausages, Creamy Mash & Steamed Seasonal Vegetables

WEDNESDAY

Nachos Supreme - YES, AGAIN!

THURSDAY

Chicken Skewers with Satay Sauce and Stir Fried Vegetables

FRIDAY

{image credit & recipe}

Beef Schnitzels, home made chips & salad

SATURDAY

{image credit & recipe}

Homemade Cherry Tomato & Prosciutto Pizza with Garlic Bread

 TIP: There is nearly 2 hours to wait for the dough to prove (rise), and about 20 minutes cooking time. I use this time to do other things like, put on a load of washing, vacuum, dust (or do nothing at all!) There is only about 30 minutes, if that, of active prep.

SUNDAY

{image credit & Recipe}

Thai Red Curry Prawns & Jasmine Rice

This is a Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals recipe. I am totally in love with this book and tend to include at least one or two of these recipes in each fortnight's meal plan. They don't take me 30 minutes, closer to 45 I think, but that is usually for a main, one or two side dishes and a dessert! I have omitted the cucumber side salad and the dessert tonight though.

LUNCHBOX

{image credit & recipe}

Chocolate Slice

TIP: When cooled completely, wrap individual servings in cling wrap, place in a large zip lock bag in the freezer. Take out as required each day to add to lunchboxes.

Curried Sausages

Recipe By: Food.com
Serving Size: 6

Ingredients:
1 kg sausage
2 brown onions, finely sliced
2 1/2 cups Beef Stock, salt reduced
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
1 tablespoon malt vinegar

Directions:
1. Cook the sausages in a large frying pan over a medium low heat, turning frequently. When cooked through, slice and set aside.

2. In the same pan the sausages were cooked in, sauté the onions until soft and slightly transparent. And the flour and stir for around 30 seconds or until combined and slightly brown.

3. Mix together the remaining ingredients in a jug then add to the pot to thicken (about 5-10 minutes). Add the sausages back to the pan to heat through.

4.  Serve with creamy mashed potato and steamed seasonal vegetables.

Tuna Mornay

Recipe By: Pippa
Serving Size: 4

Summary:
A family favourite (if your family eats tuna!) and straight from the pantry.

Ingredients:
425 gram Tuna, tinned
60 g unsalted butter
4 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour
cayenne pepper & black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1 stock cube or 1 teaspoon of stock powder
4 spring onions, chopped finely
1 cup corn kernels, (frozen or tinned are fine and easier)
2 cups milk
breadcrumbs
grated cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 200℃.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a low heat. Take the pan off the heat while you stir in the flour, peppers and mustard powder. Put the pan back on the heat and cook the flour and butter mixture for 1 minute, taking care not to burn it.

2. Take the pan off the heat again while you gradually add the milk. Add the stock powder (or crumble in the cube). Stir over low heat while the mixture (a béchamel) thickens. Once it has take it off the heat and stir in the tuna, spring onions and corn.

3. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish and cover the top with breadcrumbs and grated cheese. Pop into the oven (uncovered) for 20-30 minutes until the onions are soft and the topping is crunchy. Serve with creamy mashed potato and steamed greens.

Notes:
Other vegetables can be added to this. The sauce also makes a great base for other mornays, the chicken and asparagus variation is yummy!

Bearnaise Sauce

Recipe By: Donna Hay Modern Classics
Yield: 3/4 Cup

Ingredients:
100 milliliters white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh tarragon sprigs
3 egg yolks
125 grams butter, melted

Directions:
1. Place the wine, vinegar and tarragon in a small saucepan over a high heat. Cook for 5 minutes or until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Remove the tarragon sprigs.

2. Add the egg yolks and whisk over a low heat for 40-50 seconds or until thick and foamy. Do not overcook or the eggs will scramble.

3. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the butter, whisking well until thick and creamy.

Notes:
My favourite wait to serve this to serve this over steak topped with sliced avocado. Yum!